Kerala Blasters will temporarily cease operations in the limbo of the Indian Super League

Amid uncertainty surrounding the start date of the Indian Super League (ISL), Kerala Blasters became the third top-flight club – after Odisha FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant – to temporarily suspend activities following its exit from the Super Cup.

«We expected this (clarity on the ISL) to happen earlier this month, as per the timelines. But I know it is a very crucial point in the history of the Indian football ecosystem,» Abhik Chatterjee, the club’s CEO, told reporters. Sports stars.

«A lot has to be taken into account before decisions are made. But if you understand it from the club’s point of view, we are staring into an abyss without information, which is not good.»

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) have failed to agree on a Master Rights Agreement (MRA), which expires in December 2025. As a result, the ISL, the pinnacle of men’s football, has been left in limbo.

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As per the directions of the Supreme Court of India, the AIFF took over ownership of the league and put out a tender for a commercial partner. However, no bids were submitted for it despite the federation extending the deadline from November 5 to November 7.

Buy more time

The Blasters had originally scheduled their pre-season for July 7, but the lack of clarity on when the competition would start caused a pause in preparations.

The AIFF later convinced the club to participate in the Super Cup so that by the time the tournament was over, a resolution to the ISL deadlock would have been found. Accordingly, KBFC head coach David Catala started preparation almost three weeks before the Super Cup, on October 7.

However, the situation has not improved regarding the future of ISL, leading to the club hitting the pause button again.

Meanwhile, the Bid Evaluation Committee of the AIFF, through (Retd.) Justice L. Nageswara Rao, submitted a report on the situation to the Supreme Court on November 9 for next steps.

“It puts a lot of pressure on the owners, obviously the players, and the staff because there are specialized staff whose livelihood depends on football,” Abhik added.

«People forget that it’s not just one thing and the competition starts. There are multiple steps that clubs then have to align themselves with and come to terms with. It’s a long process.»

“Every day I fear that we are simply not giving ourselves enough time to be ready. But I would like to remain an optimist and hope that the sooner we have clarity, the better.”

The Blasters are one of the founding teams of the ISL and have reached the finals three times, including the first edition in 2014. Only five of the eight founding teams remain active, while two – Delhi Dynamos and Pune City FC – have been rebranded as Odisha FC and Sporting Club Delhi respectively.

Published on November 10, 2025